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[Reprinted  from  The  Library  Journal,  July,  1916] 


HANDLING  LIBRARY  OF  CONGRESS  CARD 

Orders  in  the  average  library 

By  Clifford  Blake  Clapp,  Dartmouth  College  Library 


By  “average  library”  is  meant,  for  the 
purposes  of  this  paper,  a library  the  scope 
of  whose  resources  and  activities  is  gen- 
eral, one  which  is  not  called  on  to  modify 
its  internal  practices  by  reason  of  its 
prominence  or  affiliations,  and  one  in  which 
there  is  a separate  department  or  person 
devoted  to  cataloging  work. 

The  proportion  of  Library  of  Congress 
work  in  such  an  institution  depends  on  sev- 
eral things,  chiefly  on  the  closeness  of  the 
kindred  relation  of  the  library’s  stock  in 
trade  with  that  of  the  Congressional  Li- 
brary, but  also  on  the  local  policy  in  re- 
gard to  form  of  headings,  card  alteration, 
analytical  work,  availability  of  certain  ref- 
erence tools,  and  so  on.  But  whatever  the 
amount  of  this  work,  the  methods  of  hand- 
ling its  routine  need  not  greatly  vary,  and 
doubtless  there  is  not  a great  difference  be- 
tween the  practices  of  libraries  in  this  re- 
spect. It  is  mainly  a matter  of  common 
sense,  a growth  in  each  institution  accord- 
ing to  immediate  requirements.  One  notes 
the  L.  C.  order  number,  adds  the  number  of 
cards  wanted,  and  sends  to  Washington — 
or  lacking  the  order  number,  sends  author, 
title,  and  imprint — keeps  some  record  of 
these  card  orders,  receives  the  cards,  adds 
headings  and  call  numbers,  does  some 
checking  and  counting,  and  the  thing  is 
done.  But  there  is  a little  more  to  it  than 
that,  as  any  person  doing  the  work,  even 
in  a moderate  sized  library,  will  learn;  and 
as  there  are  at  least  two  ways  of  doing 
everything,  it  cannot  be  amiss  to  record 
a method  that  has  worked  well. 

At  some  point  in  the  process  the  book  is 
classified  and  subject  headed.  This  may  be 
done  after  the  cards  are  received,  under 
two  conditions,  either  if  the  cards  are  or- 
dered simultaneously  with  the  ordering  of 
the  book,  or  if  the  book  has  come,  but  can 
wait  around  until  the  cards  come.  One  of 
these  conditions  will  be  immediately  dis- 
cussed; of  the  other  it  is  sufficient  to  re- 


mark that  the  book  ought  never  to  wait 
around — unless  it  were  bought  for  that 
purpose. 

ADVANCE  ORDERS 

When  a book  order  is  sent  off  the  cata- 
log department  is  apprised  of  the  fact  by 
receiving  the  order  department’s  record  of 
the  same.  Immediately  a cataloger  seeks 
preliminary  information  requisite  to  the  en- 
tering, classifying,  subject  heading,  and 
card  ordering  for  these  books.  The  L.  C. 
card  information  may  be  obtained  from 
the  Library  of  Congress  catalog,  or 
proof  slips,  or  the  A.  L.  A.  Book- 
list, or  the  Cumulative  book  index,  or 
the  United  States  catalog,  or  the  Cata- 
logue of  copyright  entries,  or  the  Monthly 
catalogue  of  United  States  public  docu- 
ments, or  the  Monthly  list  of  state  publi- 
cations, or  from  some  other  source,  but 
best  of  all  from  the  L.  C.  catalog  if  it  be 
available.  Should  there  be  little  doubt 
about  getting  L.  C.  cards  on  which  small 
alteration  need  be  made,  order  for  cards 
can  be  by  author  and  title,  and  this  is  nec- 
essary where  the  L.  C.  order  number  can- 
not be  obtained.  But  for  the  sake  of  econ- 
omy the  number  will  be  used  when  possible. 
The  title  as  found  will  be  inspected,  and 
cards  will  be  ordered  in  the  number  prob- 
ably needed,  or  by  a fixed  number  accord- 
ing to  the  library’s  regular  policy,  or  by 
formula  through  the  method  suggested  in 
the  Library  of  Congress  Handbook  of  card 
distribution,  3d  ed.,  1914,  pages  32-34.  But 
should  the  book  order  be  indefinite  as  re- 
gards edition,  or  information  at  hand  show 
that  the  Library  of  Congress  cataloged 
only  a very  old  edition,  or  should  cards  be 
required  immediately  for  a work  not  pub- 
lished in  America  and  not  within  the  Li- 
brary of  Congress  scope  of  stock  (see 
Handbook,  3d  ed.,  pp.  5-10),  cards  must 
not  be  ordered,  or  should  be  ordered  only 
with  special  instructions  on  the  specific 
points  in  question,  an  awkward  arrange- 


2 


ment  not  generally  recommended.  Yet  if 
the  Library  of  Congress  catalog  shows  that 
contents  are  printed  on  their  cards,  a cast 
may  be  made  in  the  dark  for  the  sake  of 
this  great  advantage,  since  typewriting  con- 
tents is  expensive  and  unsatisfactory  work. 

PRELIMINARY  PROCESSES 
When  a book  is  received  in  the  catalog 
department,  reference  is  first  made  to  a file 
that  shows  whether  cards  have  been  or- 
dered previously  and  what  needed  infor- 
mation has  been  obtained  from  any  source, 
especially  from  the  catalog,  shelf  list,  L.  C. 
catalog  or  other  source  of  Library  of  Con- 
gress practice  or  of  name  or  number  nec- 
essary for  ordering  cards  (cf.  above,  un- 
der Advance  orders).  The  nature  of  the 
file  giving  these  particulars  must  depend 
on  the  size  and  internal  convenience  of  the 
library;  it  may  be  the  order  department’s 
file,  or  the  L.  C.  order  file  to  be  mentioned 
hereafter  in  which  printed  cards  and  in- 
formation slips  are  kept  until  needed,  or  it 
may  perhaps  be  a third  file  containing  also 
the  notes  for  the  preparation  of  written 
cards  or  with  a checking  system  showing 
the  distribution  of  books  in  process  of 
classifying  and  cataloging.  In  a big  depart- 
ment it  would  be  a sort  of  key  to  all  the 
work  being  undertaken.  Whatever  its  na- 
ture, if  this  file  shows  that  cards  have  been 
ordered,  these  will  now  be  sought  and  if 
received  will  be  compared  with  the  book, 
and  all  further  processes  carried  through. 
If  cards  have  not  come  but  order  number 
is  at  hand  or  cards  already  ordered,  pro- 
ceedings will  be  as  the  case  requires.  If 
nothing  is  found  in  the  key  file,  resort  is 
next  made  in  the  customary  manner  to  the 
catalog  or  shelf  list  and  the  source  of  L.  C. 
information,  and  if  this  information  be 
wanting  for  the  particular  book  under 
treatment  cards  are  ordered  or  not  accord- 
ing to  the  probability  of  satisfactory  re- 
sults, on  somewhat  the  same  considerations 
as  those  stated  above  for  advance  orders, 
but  with  the  book  itself  instead  of  the  book 
order  in  hand.  If  cards  are  not  obtainable, 
this  fact  is  made  evident  to  all  concerned. 
Extreme  division  of  labor  may  so  modify 
this  routine  that  books  will  come  to  cata- 
loged without  their  knowing  whether 


printed  cards  can  be  obtained,  but  such 
condition  is  not  advisable,  owing  to  the 
great  advantages  furnished  by  knowledge 
of  what  the  Library  of  Congress  has  done. 

INFORMATION  SLIPS 

It  is  a great  convenience  to  have  the  Li- 
brary of  Congress  card  (or  proof  slip), 
found  in  the  L.  C.  catalog,  brought  to  the 
cataloger  in  the  book,  or  brought  in  the 
case  of  an  advance  order  to  the  person  re- 
sponsible for  decision  upon  the  ordering  of 
cards.  Notes  are  made  on  the  back  of  this 
card  (or  proof  slip),  or  on  a slip  appended 
to  it,  and  all  such  notes — which  may  be 
conveniently  referred  to  as  information 
slips — kept  together  during  the  few  days 
pending  the  arrival  of  the  printed  cards. 
Where  the  L.  C.  catalog  is  public  or  the  li- 
brary staff  large,  no  such  card  should  be 
long  extracted  unless  a dummy  take  its 
place  in  the  file.  When  there  is  no  chance 
to  use  a depository  catalog  in  this  way, 
because  the  library  has  not  the  use  of  one 
or  is  hampered  in  its  use,  the  cataloger 
will  be  served  with  notes  on  what  has  been 
learned  from  the  best  available  sources.  It 
is,  of  course,  perfectly  obvious  that  the 
amount  and  kind  of  this  predigested  in- 
formation that  can  be  conveyed  with  any 
satisfaction  to  a cataloger  or  classifier  by 
a second  person  is  extremely  limited.  But 
it  has  been  found  in  practice  that  a per- 
son experienced  in  preliminary  search 
work  can  produce  all  that  is  necessary  to 
enable  a responsible  cataloger  to  decide 
whether  cards  should  be  ordered  or  written, 
and  in  what  way  to  be  ordered,  or  if  cards 
are  not  to  be  ordered  to  go  ahead  in  most 
cases  without  personal  reference  to  the 
catalog. 

Both  the  book  and  the  preliminary  in- 
formation notes  being  now  in  hand,  the 
work  is  classified,  subject  headed,  referred 
to  the  shelf  list  for  its  complete  call  num- 
ber, and  its  cards  ordered.  The  notes  or 
information  slips  (one  or  more)  finally  ac- 
cumulated with  the  book  give  in  detail  all 
alterations  required  for  the  face  of  the 
cards,  such  accession  information  as  the  de- 
partment preserves,  the  classification  and 
author  notation,  the  subject  heads,  refer- 
ences, and  additional  headings,  any  special 


3 


cataloging  instructions,  and  a tally  of  the 
cards  needed  for  extra  files.  As  stated 
above,  these  notes  may  where  possible  be 
made  solely  on  the  card  from  the  L.  C. 
catalog  (under  such  safeguards  as  shall  be 
necessary),  but  libraries  will  frequently 
have  forms  for  checking  or  filling  accord- 
ing to  their  peculiar  needs.  The  final  ad- 
dition to  the  information  slips  is  the  total 
number  of  printed  cards  required,  and 
then,  the  order  being  written  for  L.  C., 
a check  mark  is  immediately  placed  against 
the  number  of  cards  to  confirm  the 
ordering. 

ORDERING  CARDS — L.  C.  ORDER  FII.E 

L.  C.  orders  may  be  sent  on  sheets,  but 
the  better  way  is  on  standard  manilla  slips, 
unpunched,  one  to  a title.  These  slips 
will  be  returned  with  the  cards  and  will  be 
useful  not  only  as  evidence  but  also  to  sep- 
arate the  sets  of  cards.  The  manner  of 
ordering  cards  is  sufficiently  well  known 
(see  Handbook,  3d  ed.,  Ordering  cards, 
Methods  of  ordering,  Number  of  cards, 
etc.).  Most  libraries  can  order  the  exact 
number  of  cards  required  in  each  case, 
even  for  advance  orders,  with  the  resultant 
economy,  but  when  Library  of  Congress 
judgment  is  desired  the  formula  may  well 
be  used  (Handbook,  pp.  32-34).  A lot  num- 
ber is  assigned  for  each  package  of  orders 
sent,  and  this  is  put  on  the  corner  of  the 
manilla  order  slip,  after  the  name  of  the  li- 
brary. If  letters  are  used  for  this  lot  num- 
ber there  can  be  no  confusion  with  the  num- 
ber of  cards  asked  for.  All  information 
slips  are  then  placed  in  a tabbed  envelope 
(described  below),  and  the  lot  number 
written  on  its  tab.  This  envelope,  with 
contents,  stays  with  the  book  while  it  is 
getting  its  book  number  added  or  con- 
firmed by  the  shelf  list,  and  getting  its 
pocket  and  book-card,  its  “new  books  card,” 
and  any  other  temporary  or  permanent  un- 
printed cards  or  instructions  that  may  be 
required.  Then  the  envelope  and  contents 
is  removed,  and  the  book  passes  along  at 
once  to  its  perforating,  lettering,  plating, 
pocket-pasting,  labeling,  etc. 

The  envelopes  are  filed  alphabetically  by 
authors  in  a box  or  tray  (L.  C.  order  file). 
Each  envelope  has  an  open  top,  with  the 


front  cut  down  low  enough  to  show 
the  author’s  name  on  the  slip  en- 
closed, but  the  back  nearly  the  height 
of  the  cards.  The  tab  bearing  the 
lot  number  is  preferably  on  the  side  of  the 
envelope,  not  the  top,  leaving  the  top  of 
the  file  to  the  necessary  alphabetical  tabs 
of  guide  cards  and  to  “tickle”  or  “follow- 
up” markers  for  delayed  work.  For  this 
envelope  nothing  serves  the  purpose  bet- 
ter than  Gaylord’s  style  G book-card  pocket, 
with  its  flaps  unpasted,  the  flaps  mak- 
ing excellent  tabs,  left  and  right.  The  box 
in  which  these  pockets  come  will  do  to 
hold  the  L.  C.  order  file,  one  side  being  cut 
down  to  one  inch  to  facilitate  fingering  the 
tabs. 

Meanwhile,  the  lot  of  card  orders  is  sent 
off,  at  convenience,  under  U.  S.  govern- 
ment frank;  about  fifty  slips  can  be  con- 
veniently sent  in  an  envelope,  but  the  num- 
ber in  each  lot  is  more  properly  determined 
by  the  time  one  can  wait  for  cards.  The  Li- 
brary of  Congress  will  usually  fill  orders 
the  day  it  receives  them.  Record  is  kept 
of  the  lots  ordered,  by  lot  number,  date 
sent,  number  of  sets  ordered,  date  returned, 
number  of  orders  filled,  and  sometimes 
number  of  Out,  C,  R,  Oe,  Np,  errors,  etc. 

RECEIVING  CARDS 

When  the  Library  of  Congress  cards  are 
received,  each  set  is  accompanied  by  the 
manilla  order  slip  bearing  its  number — as- 
suming that  L.  C.  orders  are  sent  upon  such 
slips.  These  sets  are  tallied  with  those 
charged  for  on  the  account  slip  received 
with  the  cards,  and  the  account  filed  if 
correct.  Order  slips  unaccompanied  by 
cards  and  marked  Out,  C,  R,  Oe,  Rc,  P, 
Ci  ?,  C?,  Np,  etc.  (see  Handbook,  3d  ed., 
pp.  58-61),  are  for  the  moment  put  aside. 
Record  is  made  of  the  date  the  lot  is  re- 
turned and  the  number  of  orders  filled,  with 
further  details  if  found  practically  useful. 
Then  the  cards  are  alphabetized.  The  L. 
C.  order  file  is  consulted  and  all  envelopes 
extracted  whose  tabs  bear  the  same  lot 
number  as  that  which  is  on  the  manilla  or- 
der slips.  Since  these  are  already  in  al- 
phabetical order  they  should  correspond 
with  the  cards  that  have  been  received  and 
alphabetized. 


4 


DISTRIBUTING  AND  PREPARING 

Place  in  three  lots,  side  by  side,  the  L.  C. 
cards  with  their  order  slips,  the  unfilled  or- 
der slips,  and  the  envelopes  containing  in- 
formation slips.  Compare  and  unite  the 
cards  with  the  information  in  the  envel- 
opes and  with  the  numbers  on  the  manilla 
slips,  set  by  set,  cross  off  the  manilla  or- 
ders, and  divide  the  united  alphabet  so  far 
as  necessary  into  eight  parts,  as  follows : 

(1)  Cards  and  information  correct  and 
complete;  ready  for  the  typewriter. 

(2)  Face  of  cards  to  be  altered  on  ac- 
count of  previous  determination  or  present 
discovery  that  edition  sent  differs  from 
book  owned. 

(3)  More  or  different  information  need- 
ed for  typewriter  regarding  headings,  call- 
numbers,  etc. 

(4)  Cards  whose  corresponding  infor- 
mation envelopes  are  missing. 

(5)  Information  slips  and  cards  for 
books  that  have  not  come. 

(6)  Information  slips  for  cards  that  can- 
not be  obtained  (Np). 

(7)  Information  slips  for  cards  that  are 
to  come  later  (order  slips  checked  Out,  C, 
or  R). 

(8)  Information  slips  for  all  other  un- 
filled orders  (i.  e.  for  order  slips  checked 
Rd,  Rdl,  On,  Oe,  Rc,  P,  Ci ?,  C?,  D).  Also 
information  slips  corresponding  to  any  or- 
ders where  errors  have  been  made  in  fill- 
ing by  the  Library  of  Congress. 

The  best  time  to  compare  the  cards  re- 
ceived with  the  order  slips  and  information 
slips  is  during  this  process  of  division  and 
conjunction,  and  a glance  at  order  num- 
ber, author,  title,  imprint,  suffices  for  the 
moment.  Such  comparison  and  sorting 
can  be  done  very  rapidly  if  all  the  sugges- 
tions outlined  above  have  been  followed  to 
the  letter,  each  set  of  cards  being  accom- 
panied by  its  own  order  slip,  either  with 
number  or  else  author,  title,  and  imprint, 
and  each  information  slip  indicating  all 
essentials  for  further  work  on  the  cards. 
The  advantage  of  ordering  on  unpunched 
manilla  slips  now  becomes  evident  when  it  is 
seen  that  sets  of  cards  are  clearly  discrimi- 
nated, and  further,  that  they  can  be  sepa- 
rated by  running  a pencil  through  the  hole 
in  the  cards  and  drawing  slightly  forward. 


The  cards  in  the  first  division  can  be 
sent  immediately  to  the  person  who  is  to 
typewrite  their  headings,  those  in  the 
second  division  following  them  after  being 
given  to  a responsible  person  to  be  altered 
according  to  direction  on  the  information 
slips.  Such  alteration  is  obviously  best  ac- 
complished when  the  card  from  the  L.  C. 
catalog  is  at  hand  and  properly  pencil- 
marked.  The  third  and  fourth  lots  of  cards, 
if  any,  go  to  catalogers  or  classifiers  who 
adjust  any  difficulties  and  complete  the  in- 
formation notes,  even  having  recourse  again 
at  this  point,  if  necessary,  to  the  book  that 
is  being  cataloged.  In  case  a book  has  not 
yet  arrived,  and  cards  were  ordered  in  ad- 
vance, as  in  the  fifth  division,  the  cards  are 
put  into  the  envelopes  along  with  the  in- 
formation slips  and  placed  in  the  L.  C. 
order  file  to  await  the  books.  Information 
and  order  slips  for  cards  that  could  not 
be  obtained  at  all,  or  that,  being  delayed, 
were  adjudged  not  best  to  wait  for,  must 
be  sent  to  catalogers  for  the  preparation 
of  typewritten  work;  but  those  in  the 
seventh  and  eighth  divisions  must  be  pro- 
nounced on  by  a person  competent  to  decide 
whether  cards  ought  to  be  awaited  from 
L.  C.,  or  re-ordered,  or  typewritten — except 
in  the  case  of  wrong  cards  sent,  when  the 
order  would  be  returned  anyway  with  the 
card  L.  C.  provides  for  the  purpose  (see 
Handbook,  3d  ed.,  p.  52).  If  the  cards  are 
to  be  re-ordered,  the  order  slips  are  marked 

“Hold  till  week ,”  and  returned  to 

the  Library  of  Congress  (see  Handbook, 
pp.  54-63,  where  considerable  detailed  ad- 
vice is  given  to  card  subscribers).  The 
desirability  of  awaiting  cards  depends,  of 
course,  on  local  usage  in  several  matters 
touching  the  -particulars  of  card  prepara- 
tion and  filing  and  use  of  the  card  catalog. 
It  seems  always  desirable  that  a brief  tem- 
porary card  be  made  for  the  catalog  under 
the  name  of  the  author  in  cases  where 
printed  cards  are  not  to  be  had  imme- 
diately. 

Throughout  the  foregoing  exposition  it 
has  been  assumed  that  libraries  using  the 
process  would  do  so  in  its  entirety,  with 
the  possible  variations  indicated;  but  differ- 
ent methods  from  these  are  perfectly  prac- 
ticable, involving,  however,  changes  in 


routine  or  equipment  that  there  has  been 
no  attempt  to  discuss  here.  Likewise,  it 
is  assumed  here  that  experience  will  show 
those  using  Library  of  Congress  cards  how 
far  they  can  profitably  use  them,  to  what 
extent  advance  orders  pay,  what  verifica- 
tion of  numbers  and  titles  is  necessary, 
what  system  of  accounting  is  needed  and 
how  careful  inspection  of  Library  of  Con- 
gress charges,  what  records  are  worth 
while,  and  how  far  the  necessary  details 
of  the  system  can  be  made  useful  for  the 
purposes  of  other  printed  work  and  type- 
written work.  Nothing  has  been  said, 
moreover,  about  rules  for  cataloging, 
methods  of  card  changing,  use  of  subject 
headings  and  classification  notation  or  other 
details  given  on  Library  of  Congress  cards, 
all  topics  outside  the  purpose  of  this  paper. 
Several  matters  of  interest  to  a few  libra- 
ries only,  to  special  libraries,  to  bibliogra- 
phers rather  than  libraries,  or  to  beginning 
subscribers,  are  not  touched  upon.  The 
Handbook  of  card  distribution  enters  upon 
some  of  these  questions,  and  the  Library 
of  Congress  is  ever  ready  to  extend  its 
usefulness  by  answering  inquiries  accord- 
ing to  need. 

It  is  a pleasure  to  record  the  fact  that 
the  Library  of  Congress  service  proves 
very  efficient  in  its  many  and  minute  de- 
tails. Before  closing  the  subject  by  a brief 
discussion  of  standing  orders,  it  will  be 
useful  to  look  over  a few  figures  on  the 
results  of  everyday  L.  C.  order  work  that 
show  what  good  work  is  being  done  by  the 
Library  of  Congress  card  section. 

STATISTICAL  RESULTS 

Out  ot  a lot  of  fifty  orders  sent,  a typical 
result  is  this : Returned,  45  order  slips  with 
cards,  and  five  without  cards.  Of  the  lat- 
ter, three  are  checked  Out,  one  Ci  ?,  one 
Rc.  Of  the  45  sets  of  cards  received,  23 
are  ready  for  typewriting,  six  are  to  be 
altered,  five  have  questions  as  to  headings, 
one  seems  to  have  no  information  slip  cor- 
responding, and  ten  are  for  books  ordered 
but  not  yet  received  in  the  department. 

A typical  record  of  ordering  for  one  year 
— an  actual  experience  during  1915 — shows 
that  out  of  1161  sets  ordered  there  were 
only  78  cases  where  cards  were  not  re- 


ceived immediately.  Most  of  these  were 
Outs;  there  was  but  one  Np  (no  prospect), 
and  only  five  were  errors.  This  record 
shows  very  discreet  ordering  and  very  care- 
ful filling  of  orders.  These  78  cases  were 
so  cleared  up  that  on  Dec.  31  there 
were  only  13  cases  on  hand  of  cards  not 
received,  and  these  were  all  Outs  (cards 
out  of  print)  on  orders  not  over  ten  weeks 
old;  in  fact,  eleven  were  not  over  four 
weeks  old.  Six  of  these  Outs  were  disposed 
of  by  the  arrival  of  cards  on  Jan.  3,  1916. 

An  examination  of  the  L.  C.  order  file 
on  Dec.  31,  1915,  showed  136  envelopes  on 
hand.  All  but  13  of  these  contained  L.  C. 
cards  for  books  not  yet  received.  Out  of 
the  123  such  cases,  the  cards  for  12 
were  ordered  in  1913,  for  26  in  1914,  for 
85  in  1915.  Of  the  latter  85,  71  were  or- 
dered during  the  quarter  October  to  Decem- 
ber, being  divided  as  follows:  Oct.,  5; 
Nov.,  27;  Dec.,  39.  A few  of  the  older 
orders  were  probably  for  books  that  will 
never  be  received,  and  there  is  a small  sum 
of  money  thrown  away,  but  even  then  the 
cards  can  be  returned  to  the  Library  of 
Congress  and  something  reclaimed  (see 
Llandbook,  3d  ed.,  pp.  52-53).  A periodical 
as  to  the  prospect  of  receiving  the  books 
weeding  of  the  L.  C.  order  file  is  necessary, 
inquiry  being  made  of  the  order  department 
in  question. 

STANDING  ORDERS 

Libraries  which  analyze  a considerable 
number  of  series  will  find  it  worth  while 
to  file  with  the  Library  of  Congress  a stand- 
ing order  for  cards  for  analytics  for  each 
of  these  series  for  which  cards  are  printed. 
Bulletin  16-19  of  the  card  section  of  the 
Library  of  Congress  (3d  ed.,  Mar.  1,  1914) 
gives  a list  of  about  3500  series  for  which 
cards  are  in  stock;  it  gives  also  the  method 
of  ordering  by  series  (see  also  Handbook, 
3d  ed.,  pp.  45-46).  The  method  need  not 
be  repeated  here.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the 
number  of  cards  called  for  depends  on  the 
library’s  treatment  of  the  series  in  ques- 
tion, and  is  to  be  regulated  somewhat  as 
follows : 

The  greatest  number  of  cards  needed 
may  be  one  for  shelf  list,  one  for  author, 
one  for  title,  one  for  filing  under  name 


Gaylord  Bros. 
Makers 

Syracuse  N . Y. 
PAT.  JAN.  21.  1908 


